Quantum computer chips get infinitesimally closer to happening

We’ve already seen at least one (sort of) functional quantum processor, and one breakthrough after the other in quantum computing, but it looks like some researchers at Ohio State University have now made a breakthrough of their own that could possibly speed things up considerably. The big news there is that they’ve apparently found a way to fabricate a quantum device called a resonant interband tunneling diode (or RITD) using a chip-making technique called “vapor desposition,” which is commonly used today for traditional chips. While there’s still quite a bit of perfecting to be done on the device itself, lead researcher Paul Berger says the RTIDs could be used for ultra-low-power computer chips that operate with small voltages and produce less excess heat, and may even allow for ultra high-resolution imaging devices that can “operate at wavelengths beyond the human eye” — opening up possibilities for everything from advanced medical imaging to the ability to see through rain, snow, fog and dust storms.

[Via Physorg]

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Quantum computer chips get infinitesimally closer to happening originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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